IPOH – All three candidates contesting the Tebing Tinggi state seat visited the night market in Desa Aman here yesterday as part of their campaign rounds for the upcoming general election.
The first candidate to arrive was MCA hopeful Tony Khoo, whose presence was broadcast on an LED television mounted on a pickup truck promoting his manifesto and plans for the constituency.
This was promptly followed by his supporters from Barisan Nasional (BN) clad in their usual light blue uniforms as they began canvassing for support.
The rather reserved Khoo told The Vibes and Getaran that among his plans for the constituency if he were to win was to build another public health clinic in Tebing Tinggi and promote the night market to attract international tourists, among others.
“The nearest clinic is about 5 km away. This is troublesome for the elderly, especially since we are now an ageing society. Youths are migrating elsewhere to look for work and that’s another thing I want to do – create more job opportunities,” said the local boy.
“So, what I want to promote is gastro tourism. Thailand’s night markets are famous, why can’t we do the same? For the economy, I want to get Tunku Abdul Rahman University and Tunku Abdul Rahman College to open a branch here.
“Then we can get more students to come here to study; houses can be open for rent; lecturers will come in… there will be a breath of new life in the economy here.”
Despite his noble plans for the area, it seemed that the locals were quite hesitant and a little reserved when they spoke to him.
This could be a reflection of Khoo’s own quiet and rather dignified nature – which was in stark contrast to Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) Prof Abdul Aziz Bari and PH’s parliamentary candidate for the Ipoh Timor federal seat, Howard Lee.
Lee was seen going from one stall to the next, before greeting the night market customers in an extremely jovial manner, while dragging Aziz along for the ride.
It was rather clear that their joy and cheer was infectious as the Malay community there began smiling and joking with Lee, Aziz, and their team.
The comfort that the voters there have with the duo could also stem from the fact that many of the Malay party volunteers are somehow related to the traders – with some saying that they are old friends or neighbours.
“Please remember this handsome face, don’t forget to vote for Prof Aziz and myself,” said Lee in his usual thick Perakian Malay dialect to a female petai trader.
“You look older la. In your poster you look better, younger, and more handsome,” the trader jokingly quipped back.
“Ouch! That hurts!” Lee replied while clutching his chest.
“I was about to buy some petai… but I think I changed my mind.”
“Ohhh, so that’s how it is? Be careful, you might lose a vote,” came the playful banter from the lady.
Perikatan Nasional’s (PN) Tebing Tinggi candidate Mohammad Iskandar Abdul Rahman, who was the last to arrive for the walkabout, seemed to be on the middle ground when compared to the bouncing Lee-Aziz pair and MCA’s Khoo.
He was warm and friendly – and everyone greeted him as they did the DAP duo – but Iskandar was not as animated as Lee when he spoke to the locals.
At a glance, Iskandar seemed to carry Khoo’s dignity coupled with the Lee-Aziz warmth, something that the Malay population can relate to easily.
During the walkabout, Lee-Aziz and Iskandar bumped into each other and as friendly rivals, greeted one another and shook hands.
After the PH team had finished their walkabout, the candidates also noticed Khoo, who was hanging out on the sidelines with his team, and they immediately headed over to greet their BN rival.
Unfortunately, due to time constraints and a prior engagement, The Vibes and Getaran could not follow Iskandar on his full walkabout at the night market and could only observe him and his team for a short while. – The Vibes, November 14, 2022
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